Frederick Brown dies at 56

Was entertainment attorney at Warner Records, MGM

Entertainment attorney Frederick Brown, who worked at Warner Bros. Records and then MGM, died Monday, Aug. 29 in Los Angeles after a long battle with cancer. He was 56.

Brown was part of Warner Bros. Records’ business affairs department for more than 10 years, departing in 1999 to become senior VP of business and legal affairs for music at MGM. Most recently he was in private practice.

Born in San Francisco, he served in the U.S. Army after high school. He graduated from UC Berkeley, where he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He received his law degree from Yale University and started his career at the law firm of Irell and Manella.

He was active in many music industry, charitable and legal organizations, serving as president of the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association (BESLA).

Brown is survived by his wife, Liz McNicoll, and son Nico Brown.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, Sept. 10, at 12:30 p.m. at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Church of the Hills, 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles. Donations may be made to Tipitina’s Foundation (Tipitinasfoundation.org), which provides New Orleans public schools with musical instruments and preserves the musical cultures of Louisiana.